Friday, May 11, 2007

3.Read the instructions.Yes, there are arguably multiple sources for “instructions” for real life…but they do exist, myriad forms as they may be.Stephen Covey, in his landmark piece Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, poses an axiom to sharpen the saw or to sharpen the axe.Long story short, essentially:Learning what you need to know before you do it—Reading the instructions—is extremely important.

Thursday, May 10, 2007

I have long held the belief that Battlemaster is not just a part of a person’s life, but it is a way of life.Within itself, this game can teach a person many, if not all, of the things that what we can learn on our way through life.In and of itself, it is a macrocosm of what is, what was, and what could be of a person’s life.

BattleMaster is a team-oriented browsergame merging strategy and roleplaying. It is set in a low-fantasy middle-ages world and players take the role of nobles and lords.

BattleMaster is a light-weight game that can be played alongside your other activities. Although you can delve deeply into it and spend more time on it, about 15 minutes per day are enough for regular play, and 5 will do if you are in a hurry.

BattleMaster is also a game under active development. New features are being added and gameplay and balance are constantly tweaked to improve the game further. You can talk directly to the developers on the mailing list.

So, without further ado, the first addition to this ongoing list:

1.Put simply, in the often-quoted words of the 17TH century British poet:“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent.”The very fabric of the game is rooted deeply in the traditions of the middle ages:The “clans” or larger social team units of the game and therefore have their social rankings and caste systems.However, all play their respective roles in a larger well-oiled machine towards the end of making their respective realm work properly.

In society, as in Battlemaster, we are “wired” at our most fundamental levels to be part of a community.From the earliest stories of civilizations, this has been the rule, not the exception.Several studies have been done that prove that the more an individual places themselves in social situations, the more “emotional capital” that they deposit with others, thus increasing their chances at a betterment of their situation.

And, since I missed a post last evening I will throw in another:

2.The universe tends to unfold as it should.Good deeds, in enough frequency, do not go unnoticed; as does the opposite of this:Do bad things, and sooner or later they will catch up with you.In Battlemaster recognition often goes to the active noble that practices good judgment and contributes to the greater whole.For those that take away too much from it, however, they will—sooner or later—find themselves paying the price for their actions.